


there's a devil in your smile (that's chasing me)

by morganaes



Series: now i accidentally know that you're in love with me too (oops, baby, i love you) [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Idiots in Love, alex danvers is the best big sister in the world, directioner!kara danvers, lex is a good older brother and he's briefly mentioned - he gives Good life advice, there's no better wingman than spots the cat and i think he deserves his own fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:17:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganaes/pseuds/morganaes
Summary: Kara wasn't supposed to be in detention. It isn't even her fault that she is here, no matter what the voice inside her head - which sounds suspiciously like Alex's - is telling her.She was just trying to help the poor kitten down from that tree. Everything was going okay and according to plan.She climbed the tree, calmed the poor animal down and was opening her backpack so she could put him inside, that way she could climb down safely and as a normal human would, using both hands and decidedly not flying.Naturally, everything started going downhill from there.or: the one where kara is very much in love with lena just as lena is very much in love with kara & everything goes sort of wrong before it ends up right.





	there's a devil in your smile (that's chasing me)

Kara wasn't supposed to be in detention. It isn't even her fault that she is here, no matter what the voice inside her head - which sounds suspiciously like Alex's - is telling her.

She was just trying to help the poor kitten down from that tree. Everything was going okay and according to plan.

She climbed the tree, calmed the poor animal down and was opening her backpack so she could put him inside, that way she could climb down safely and as a normal human would, using both hands and decidedly not flying.

Naturally, everything started going downhill from there.

* * *

"Ms. Danvers, what do you think you're _doing_?"

Kara startles so bad she almost falls from the tree, her legs tightening on the branch – _sorry, tree!_ – being the only thing keeping her secure, but the fright is enough to make her fling her backpack in the air and she watches, mouth open in muted horror, as it falls and crashes through the Principal's car window.

" _Ms. Danvers!"_  Comes the professor indignant shout. "Come down here this instant!"

 _Well, shit_ , says the Alex voice.

 _Shut up,_  she thinks back, making her way down the tree and already resigned to her fate.

Once she puts the cat safely down, she walks until she's in front of Professor Henshaw, fiddling with her sweater’s sleeves and looking to the ground.

“Ms. Danvers, would you like to tell me what you were doing up in that tree while you should have been in class?” He asks, arms crossed and annoyed look on his face.

Well, nobody ever accused of her of making the best choices.

“You see, sir, I was just, you know, looking out the window of my physics class - which was the last class I had aside from this one I’m missing now and oh -” Kara says, not even realizing she started gesticulating with her hands in the middle of her ramble. “but yes! I looked out the window and I saw the poor cat and he was stuck and I just had to help him! So when class ended I just flew here - not flew as in flew, I just came down here really fast like, boy, did I run.” She laughs awkwardly, doing her best to avoid eye contact with her professor and Rao, Alex is going to _kill her_.

The professor holds up one hand, as if to physically stop Kara from saying anything else, closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose. She, in turn, fidgets in place, biting her lip and rubbing her hands together so she doesn’t say anything else.

After a while, Professor Hank reopens his eyes and lets out a sigh.

“You’ll have detention, Ms. Danvers, for skipping class and you’ll also accompany me to Principal Marsdin’s office-” He’s interrupted by Kara’s loud and horrified gasp.

“Oh no, sir! Do you think she’ll be disappointed? I don’t want her to be disappointed - or even mad! - at me. She’s just so nice and I admire her a lot and oh no, she’ll never greet me when she passes me by the corridor again. I swear I was just trying to help the cat and I promise I won’t destroy any part of her car again!” She’s panicking a little at this point and she can almost see Eliza’s face when the school calls her to talk about this incident.

“Ms. Danvers, will you _calm down_?” The professor’s voice is enough to pierce through her worry clouded mind. “I’m sure Principal Marsdin will still greet you in the corridors, as you had the _noblest,_ ” here he gives her a look “reasons in mind. Now come along, I’ll write you a note and drop you off at your class.”

* * *

“- and you’ll just have to reorganize the books and put them back in their right place. You can leave your things in one of the normal tables too, as the place is practically empty around this time.” Miss Phillips is saying as she walks Kara around the library, showing her what she is supposed to be doing during this detention. “The other student who’ll be helping around is already here, so don’t be alarmed if you run into her. Any questions?” At Kara’s answering shake of the head, Miss Phillips smiles and claps once. “Good, then I’ll be near the entrance cataloguing the new entries, you can come ask me if you have any questions, dear.”

With that, the other woman turns around and leaves Kara standing alone in the astronomy part of the library. Smiling to herself, she settles her things in the nearest table and tied her hair back in a messy bun so it wouldn’t fall in her face and get in the way.

Humming under her breath, she starts picking up the books out of place near this corridor and stocking them in a pile in another table near where her things are. She isn’t really surprised by the fact that almost half of the books and magazines she picked up don’t belong in the astronomy corridor or nowhere near the science area, but she is annoyed by the lack of care people have with the material.

For Kara, who spent all her life - both on Krypton and on Earth, even if for different reasons - surrounded by books, the lack of appreciation and care shown to them makes her frown in disappointment. She puts the easiest and nearer ones back in their place, then puts the rest in a single pile so she can carry them back to the other session.

She’s almost half an hour  into the detention, halfway done with the Fiction and Juvenile Literature part of the pile and already singing and dancing to herself, when she is forcefully reminded of Miss Phillips’ warning.

“Are you an angel? Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.” Comes the voice from directly behind her, startling Kara so bad she ends up dropping the last five books she was carrying.

Her heart beating so fast it’s almost flying - _ha_ , she thinks distractedly, _I’ll have to tell this one to_ _Alex_ _later_ \- and breathing hard, she brings a hand to her chest to try and calm down, whirls around, ready to give whoever it was a piece of her mind and how it’s wrong to scare poor unsuspecting souls, and promptly chokes on air because Lena Luthor is the one standing right behind her.

 _Well, shit_ , says the Alex voice.

 _Ye_ _ah_ , is her faint agreement. _Well shit indeed._

Let it never be said that she doesn’t at least try.

“Lena? What are you doing here? Are you the other student Miss Phillips warned me about?” Kara asks in quick succession, barely giving time for the other girl to answer. “Oh no, I didn’t mean it like it sounded. She didn’t warn me in a ‘be careful around her way’, it was more in a ‘don’t be alarmed if you bump into someone else’ way and, wow, I was definitely alarmed and you should be the one being more careful! Were you trying to give me a heart attack? And wait - _did you just call me an angel?_ ”

Lena, to her credit, is leaning back against a bookcase and watching her, shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter. Once she recomposes herself, she smiles in amusement and bends down to pick up the books Kara dropped and apparently forgot about.

“Hello, Kara,” Lena says and oh, she pronounces her name _correctly_. “I’m here to help, just as you are. Yes, I assume I’m the one she warned you about, seeing as we’re the only ones here.” She takes a step closer so that they are almost touching, raising an eyebrow and smirking while offering the books back to Kara. “And yes, I did call you an angel. After all, I was praying for a miracle to help me reach the end of this detention in one piece and you showed up, didn’t you? And, judging by the amount of books you’re carrying, you’ll certainly be good at holding up the heavier things.” She winks.

  
Lena Luthor, one of the most infamous people at school, widely known for being cold and aloof and not interacting with anyone aside from the elite that composed her very exclusive social circle, just winked at her.  
  
Lena Luthor, Kara's very own crush, just winked at her.  
  
She wonders if Kryptonians are prone to spontaneous combustion, because she's blushing so much she's almost on fire.  
  
_Rao help her._  
  
“I - yes, I'm super strong! Wait, not super as in super but I'm strong enough to help you carry some things if you want. Well, not a lot because I'm not _that_ strong, you know, just normal strong and, uh, yeah.” Kara laughs awkwardly, adjusting her glasses and trying to will the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

Lena, for her part, is biting her lip and looking highly amused.

“Well, come on then, Super Danvers. We can work together to finish this sooner while you tell me what you did to end up here.” She turns around and walks away, Kara hesitating only a moment before following right behind her.

“I sort of smashed the window of the principal’s car?” It comes out more of a question than an answer and Kara winces when she remembers what she did.

“My my, Kara, I didn’t think you had it in you.” She looks back over her shoulder and shoots Kara a smirk that makes her stumble mid step. “Why did you do it?”

“Oh no, it wasn’t intentional! I accidentally dropped my bag and it went right through her window.” She answers. At Lena’s raised eyebrow, she decides to elaborate. “I was up in a tree trying to help a cat that got stuck on it and Professor Henshaw startled me and I dropped my bag and ended up breaking the car’s window.”

“So you got in detention for accidentally breaking the car’s window while trying to help a cat?” Lena says it slowly, an incredulous expression on her face.

“Well, I actually got detention because I skipped class so I could help the cat. The window was just sort of collateral damage? Even if it wasn’t completely my fault.” Kara answers, fumbling for a moment before giving the last of the books for Lena to put away.

She watches as Lena’s lips twitch in a small smile and she shakes her head, chuckling under her breath. The sound makes her insides feel warm and she starts to smile before she can stop herself.

From then on, they work together trading small talk between them. And it isn’t until later, when Kara is walking into her shared room with Alex, that she realizes three things.

First, Lena isn’t as fearsome as people make her out to be. Two, Lena’s smile is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. And three, her crush on the other girl isn’t as small as she thought it was.

The worst part is that she has no idea what to do about it.

* * *

Alex finds her twenty minutes later, face down on her bed, staring at the ceiling and mouthing along to the music coming from the phone on her bedside table.

_shot me out of the sky, you’re my kryptonite_

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” She asks, laying down by Kara’s side and extending her hand to Kara, who takes her hand without looking away from the ceiling, naturally intertwining their fingers.

_you keep me weak, yeah frozen and can’t breathe_

“Does this have anything to do with the phone call mom got?” Alex asks when she takes too long to answer.

“Yeah. Well, sort of.” is Kara’s faint answer. She rolls over so she’s laying on her side and rests her head on her sister’s shoulder. “I got detention today because I skipped class and accidentally broke a car’s window all because I was trying to help a cat. I don’t regret it, but it’s not that. I just,” She lets her sentence trail off, burrowing closer to Alex.

_so get out, get out, get out of my head_

Alex just stays silent, playing with her hair and giving her time to organize her thoughts.

“Remember when I was,” She breaths in deeply and shakes her head a little. “Lena Luthor was in detention too. I don’t know why because I forgot to ask, but we spent a lot of time talking or even in silence, just working together so we could finish earlier and I -” She swallows. “Alex?”

“Yeah?” Alex asks, tightening her hold.

“I really like Lena and I, I don’t know what to do.” She says, closing her eyes and pressing her face to her sister’s neck.

_that i’m going out of my mind all day and night_

“It’s okay, Kara.” Alex says, resting her chin on Kara’s head. “Liking someone is normal and it doesn’t matter if it’s a human boy, girl or an alien. You like who you like and that’s completely okay. No one who loves will mind and those who make a big deal out of it are idiots. I promise that everything is fine. Okay?” She waits for Kara’s answering nod, hesitant as it may be, to continue. “Just keep talking to her, wave when you see her, show her you’re interested. You’re a wonderful person, Kara, literally out of this world. She’d be stupid not to like you back, sooner or later you’ll get her falling into your arms.” She sings the last part softly, grinning in relief when she gets Kara to poke her in the side and laugh.

“I love you, Alex.” She says, nuzzling the older girl.

“I love you too, Kara.” She kisses her sister’s head. Suddenly, her grin widens and she pulls at a lock of blonde hair. “Now, tell me more about Lena and the things you got up to at detention. How many times did you blush around her?”

“ _Aleeeeeex_ ,” Kara whines. “stop! I already embarrassed myself enough as it is.”

* * *

Kara sees Lena again the following morning.

She is walking to her third class of the day when she notices Lena on the other side of the corridor, leaning against her locker and talking to some friends.

She keeps what Alex said in mind - _just keep talking to her, wave when you see her, show her you’re interested_ \- and nods to herself when she comes to a decision. Clutching her books tighter, she looks back at the black haired girl and, when she’s sure the other girl is looking at her, she smiles and waves.

But when Lena - badass, cold and aloof Lena - smiles and waves back at her, she promptly stumbles over her own feet and runs into the boy standing near her, almost sending him to the ground.

She blushes to the roots of her hair and apologizes profusely to the boy. When she looks back up and sees the amused smile on Lena’s face, she squeaks - and she can almost see Alex facepalming - and flees to her maths class.

 _Time for another plan then,_ she thinks. _Ugh, why does_ _Alex m_ _ake things sound easier than they are?_ , she thinks. She makes a mental note to complain to her sister when she sees her later and adjusts herself in her seat, ready to pay attention to class.

After math class ends, she organizes her things and starts to make her way outside so she can study under the trees. She makes a brief stop at her locker to take out one of her lunches, opening her juice so she can drink it on the way.

She’s already outside, but ultimately distracted thinking about how to interact with Lena and show her interest, when that cat shows up out of nowhere, walking between her legs and almost making her trip. She squeaks and throws her juice up, her super strength sending it farther than she meant for it to go.

She knows that letting herself get distracted was a mistake when she hears the angry shout of “ _Ms. Danvers!_ ” coming from behind her.

“I saved you and that’s how you repay me?” She hisses at the cat, who’s staring innocently up at her and purring as if it doesn’t have a care in the world. Sighing dejectedly, she slowly turns around to face the person she accidentally hurt and pales instantly when she comes face to face with Professor Lane, her P.E. teacher. He’s watching her with narrowed eyes and, even from this distance, she can see the vein throbbing in his neck.

“I’m, oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Professor. I didn’t mean to - I was just walking and the cat showed up and, and here!” She takes a napkin out of her bag and goes to offer it to him, but stops in place when he swallows and narrows his eyes further.

“Detention, Ms. Danvers.” He says this in a deathly calm voice. “Right after class.”

“I- but, Professor! I swear I didn’t mean to! It was just an accident.” She fidges in place and pushes her glasses further up her nose.

“Detention, Ms. Danvers.” He repeats himself then turns around and storms off, leaving her staring after him in bewilderment and confusion.

The cat meows at her feet and goes back to rubbing himself on her leg.

“Yeah. Me too, buddy.” She sighs and crouches down to pet him. “Me too.”

* * *

Kara continues her day as normal, if a bit dejectedly. She didn’t come up with a new plan to talk to Lena and she got detention _again_ , all in the span of a few minutes. The only good thing to come out of this morning was that Alex promised to wait for her to be done with detention so they could go home and get ice cream on the way back.

Already tired of everything, she hurried to the library as soon as classes ended so she could be done with her detention as soon as possible.

It's only when she enters the library and comes face to face with Lena, wearing glasses and biting the cap of her pen while she looks over some books, that she thinks some bad things happen for a good reason.

* * *

“Kara? Are you okay?” The sound of Lena pushing her chair back and rushing in her direction is enough to make Kara blush harder and try to make herself disappear where she's sprawled on the floor. “Kara?”

She closes her eyes and mumbles something under her breath before lifting her head to look at Lena.

“Lena! Hi! I- well I didn't know you would be here and I was just coming in looking for Ms. Phillips to talk to her about my detention and I got distracted and didn't see the table there and um… I tripped.”

Lena has that amused smirk on her face, eyebrows slightly raised as she offers her hand to help Kara up.

“Come on then, up with you, Ms. Danvers.” She says, tugging Kara up. Once she's back on her feet, Lena steps closer to her and rests her hands on the blonde’s shoulders. “Any permanent damage? Does it hurt anywhere?”

Kara’s blushing so hard she's almost on fire and, to avoid looking down - _she's taller than Lena! how had she not noticed that before?_ \- and meeting Lena’s eyes, she turns her head and stares at the table still on the floor. The table that has its foot bent where she accidentally kicked it.

Feeling her eyes widen, she's quick to turn back to Lena and grasp her elbows, plastering a smile on her face.

“Yes! I mean, no! No permanent damage. I'm completely fine. Good as new! Great, even!” She clears her throat awkwardly, dropping her hands and taking a step back when she notices how close she actually is to Lena and the way the shorter girl is looking at her. “So, um, what is there for us to do today?”

Lena narrows her eyes, looking her up and down, before smirking again and turning around to walk away, mentioning for Kara to follow her.

“Ms. Phillips left a bit earlier today because she had a doctor’s appointment but she left everything organized and in place so, unless anyone comes to the library and wants to take out a book or leaves things out of place, we can to whatever we want.”

And when she looks over her shoulder to wink at Kara, the blonde trips and almost faceplants on the floor again.

 _I’m going to die_ , she thinks.

* * *

“So, want to tell me what is it that you did to end up here this time, Ms. Danvers?” Lena drawls, looking at Kara from under her lashes and shooting her that amused smirk of hers.

Somehow they ended up sitting side by side at one of the library's tables, their homeworks discarded to the side as they talk about their favorite books - _yes, Kara. Talk to her about books to her to know her better. You're in a library, what a great idea_ , she thought to herself, in an imitation of Alex’s mocking voice - and field of interests.

It's Lena’s gentle teasing and the look of genuine interest in her eyes that make Kara blush and start fidgeting again, not even considering lying to avoid the embarrassment.

“I, uh, may have dropped juice on Professor Lane’s head?” She says hesitantly, blushing ever harder when she sees Lena’s amused smirk. “Not on purpose, of course! The cat showed up out of nowhere and frightened me, so I threw my juice away and I didn't see him there and… uh, yeah?”

Lena shakes her head in amusement, never losing the smirk on her face or that ever present gleam in her eyes - the one Kara doesn't have a name for yet.

“Are you sure you aren't just using the cat as an excuse, Kara? Blaming the poor animal when you’re the one not so sneakily getting back at the professors for all the hours of boring lessons.”

“Hey! I can totally be sneaky!” Kara protests, eyes narrowed. “And what about you? What did you do to end up here again?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?” is all Lena says as an answer, winking for good measure.

* * *

The shout of “ _Alex!_ ” is the only warning she gives before she throws herself at her sister in a hug, sending them both to the ground.

“Kara! Ow!” Alex complains from beneath her, one hand going to the back of her head while her other arm wraps itself around the blonde to return the hug. “What the hell?”

Kara is giggling like a maniac, still blushing after leaving detention, and it's only Alex’s arm that's stopping her from floating in happiness.

“I talked to Lena! Again!” She squeals. “And I thought of a good plan to keep talking to her - no thanks to you!” She pokes Alex’s shoulder then goes back to smiling and bouncing in place.

“Dork.” Alex laughs. “Help me up and tell me about this plan of yours then, otherwise we'll spend all day here and won't get any ice cream.”

If possible, Kara’s eyes light up even more after that. She practically jumps up, smile so big it might actually hurt.

“We were talking and she asked me why I ended up there again, right? Except she didn't answer why she was there when I asked.” She only realizes she’s waving her hands around when Alex glares up at her, making her shrug sheepishly and offer her hand to the brunette still on the ground. “So I decided I will keep getting detention so I can continue talking to her!”

 _“You will what?”_ Alex yelps, letting go of Kara’s hand and falling back down. “Kara no!”

* * *

After all kind of excuses and positive thinking - from _this way I can interact more easily with other humans to get the hang of things_ to _if you think about it, there's no better place for me to do my homework_ \- Kara finally manages to convince Alex that this is a good idea - which is good because it's her only idea, since she immediately shot down Alex’s suggestion of just walking up to Lena and asking her out.

Her sister sighs exasperatedly and rolls her eyes the entire time, but she can't hide her fond smile and doesn't even attempt to conceal the affectionate “only you, Kara” she mutters under her breath.

When they get back home, she knows something is wrong when Alex suddenly stops midway up the stairs.

“You're gonna have to be the one to explain to mom if she asks about it. You know that, right?” She says, smirk firmly in place, and goes to her room laughing when Kara stays frozen in place with a horrified look.

* * *

The next day, Kara makes no attempts to mask her enthusiasm when she gets to school, Alex and Eliza trading an amused look behind her back when she almost falls twice while getting out of the car.

“Bye, girls. Have fun and behave!” Eliza says before she drives off.

“Don't know about behaving but Kara will have fun, alright.” Alex mutters under her breath, laughing when she dodges the elbow Kara aimed at her ribs.

Kara rolls her eyes but beams at her sister before they part ways to go to their respective classes.

She takes a deep breath and adjusts her glasses before she walks in the direction of her first class. Her new plan still in mind, she ducks inside the bathroom at the end of the hallway and locks herself inside a stall so she can wait a bit.

She tries to distract herself by humming some songs to herself, starting by her favorite Beyoncé songs. When she deems she's late enough for class, she takes a deep breath before getting up.

 _This is it,_ she thinks, _it's time._

She thinks how Alex would roll her eyes and call her dramatic before squeezing her shoulder and pushing her out of the door, and it weirdly works as encouragement.

She timidly knocks on the classroom door and she wouldn't even need her superheating to pick up on how the class goes deathly silent. She swallows nervously, keeping in mind how this is all for a good reason, before opening the door and taking a step inside.

Not so surprisingly, the first thing she notices is that Lena is sitting on her usual sit near the window. As she is late, she's not surprised Lena is looking at her, but she is surprised by the smile and playful wink the green eyed girl sends her way. She returns the smile and considers waving, but the teacher chooses that exact moment to interrupt her and remind her where she is.

“Yes, Kiera?” Professor Grant drawls.

“I- what?” She asks, blinking herself out of her daze. “Oh, I'm so sorry, Professor Grant! I just lost track of time and didn't hear the bell and I just realized-” she trails off when she sees her teacher has closed her eyes and raised her hand - _and why does everyone keep doing this to me?_ she wonders - fidgeting in place while she waits.

“Go sit down, Kiera.” Professor Grant says, turning around back to the board.

“What?” She asks, hearing some other students murmur the same.

“Go to your place, Kiera.” Professor Grant says, sparing her a brief glance before focusing back on the board. “Or would you prefer to get a detention then go to the principal’s office?” She asks, almost mockingly.

“I- yes?” At the dangerous look she receives, she's quick to shake her head. “I meant no, thank you, Professor Grant. I'm going to sit down right away.”

She walks as fast as possible to her seat, head down to try to hide her blushing face from her snickering classmates. When she looks back up, she notices Lena looking at her and smirking.

“That was a close one.” The brunette mouths before winking and turning back to face the front of the class.

The blonde sighs in frustration and shakes her head at herself.

_A close one indeed._

* * *

“It's not my fault you're being, uh,” she says, shoulders tense and eyes narrowed at her professor. “you're being a jerk!”

“Excuse me?” Professor Carr says, turning around to face her, crumbled piece of paper still in his hands. “What did you just say?”

She swallows roughly, hoping it doesn't show how nervous she's feeling but knowing it does, but unwilling to back down. She knows she's right, knows she's standing up for herself and for everyone else.

“I said you're acting like a jerk, professor, and that it's wrong to treat people like this, especially if you do it just because they're your students.”

He looks at her over the top of his glasses, his face devoid of any strong emotions. She stands her ground, her posture tense and her hands clenched into fists - she doesn't trust herself to hold anything at the moment, but she knows her hands would start shaking if she opened them.

“Get out of my classroom, Blondie.” is the only thing he says.

“What?”

“You heard me, Danvers. Get out.” He says again.

She huffs but complies, bending down to get her things then leaving the classroom in a rush. She doesn't know what she's supposed to do because he didn't tell her to go anywhere - didn't give any instructions - so she just wanders aimlessly until she ends up outside.

She finds a spot underneath one of the trees in the courtyard and makes herself comfortable in the shade it provides. She takes her math and history books out of her backpack, that way she can do something productive while she waits for the bell to ring and all the classes to end - she much prefers waiting for Alex so they can go home together.

Already finished with her math homework, she's doing the required reading for her history class when she's joined by a cat - the same cat as all the other times.

The black and white kitten rubs against her leg, purring innocently the entire time.

She uses her highlighter as a bookmark then closes the book, putting it away at her side. She smiles slightly and extends her hand towards the cat, laughing under heat breath when he headbutts her hand.

“Hey, buddy. Come here to get me in trouble again?” She asks, gently petting his head. He purrs louder in response, eyes closed. “Yeah, I wouldn't complain this time. Figures the only day I'm trying to do something, everyone let's me off easily.”

She sighs, resting her head back against the tree. Unsatisfied with the lack of attention, the cat jumps on her lap and makes himself comfortable. When Kara looks back down at him, he's already looking at her face, tail swaying behind him.

“Oh, not you too. It's the only plan I have, okay? And I just-” She sighs. “This is the first time I've felt like this, you know? And I don't… I don't know how to deal with this, how to do anything, actually. I just want her to notice me and maybe like me… for me.” She finishes quietly.

She sighs again and the cat settles his head on his front paws and closes his eyes, purring quietly to himself. She stares at him a moment longer, surprisingly grateful for the companionship the animal provides, then opens her history book and goes back to studying.

Distracted, she doesn't realize someone is standing near her until the person clears their throat, making her jump in place and the cat hisses in displeasure for being moved.

Hand on her chest to recover from the scare, it's only when the person laughs that she recognizes it's Alex, making it easier for her to look up and scowl at her.

“You should've seen your face!” Her sister says between laughs, cheeks red from laughing so hard.

“Alex, this isn't funny!” The blonde whines.

“I’m sorry, I couldn't miss the opportunity. It's always so difficult to catch you by surprise.” The brunette takes a deep breath then goes back to chuckling quietly to herself. “Okay, okay. I’m done.”

Kara rolls her eyes, ducking her head to hide the small smile on her face, while she collects her things from the ground. Once she's done, she turns back to the cat who is sitting quietly and observing the two. She extends her hand, smiling in happiness when the cat headbutts her hand and lets her pet him again - all the while side eyeing Alex.

“Spots,” She says, snickering when she makes him purr by scratching his back. “That's what I'm going to call you.”

She doesn't see the way her sister’s face softens when she hears her nor does she sees the smile on her face.

“And who's this?” Alex asks, voice soft and warm.

“This is Spots, the little troublemaker who got me in detention those two times.” Kara answers, surprisingly feeling like she could float in happiness when she sees the way the newly named Spots lets the other girl pet him.

“Thank you for helping my sister out with her crush, Spots.” Alex says, her voice as gentle as it'd be if she was talking with Kara. “You're a very good friend.”

The cat purrs louder in response but not so long after he hisses, startled, and runs away when a group of football players passes by them making a ruckus.

“Come on, Kara. You can tell me how your plan works out for you on the way home.”

* * *

The next day, she's standing in front of her locker getting the books for the first classes when Lena approaches her.

“Late for class and talking back to a teacher, Kara?” Is the first thing she says, that maddening smirk firmly in place. “Surprised I didn't see you at detention yesterday.”

“I- both things were very unintentional, I assure you.” The blonde answers, cheeks bright red with her blush. “Okay, talking back to Snapper wasn't so unintentional, but I couldn't just let him treat Winn like that.”

She watches as Lena’s smirk softens into a gentle smile, one she's only seen when they were alone in detention.

“He had it coming, he's kind of a jerk. I'm happy you stood up to him too.” She says. Squeezing the blonde’s arm, she takes a step back and turns around to leave. “I’ll see you later, supergirl.”

The second bell rings and Kara is still in frozen in place, staring at the spot on her arm that Lena squeezed and a dreamy smile on her face.

* * *

The rest of the week passes by the same way for Kara: no matter what she does, she doesn't get a detention - she barely gets a warning. And okay, it's not like she's trying to get in big trouble or anything - the rules are there for a reason, and usually that reason is to keep people safe - but she doesn't understand why no one gives her a detention, especially when she got it before for things that weren't even her fault.

The only bright side to those days was the fact that Lena and her interacted a lot, something she didn't expect since they weren't in detention together - which is something Alex likes to point out to her everyday, always mentioning how she should go talk to Lena and ask her out.

Sometimes they stop to talk in the hallway or during lunch hours. On Friday, they got assigned as partners for a class project in their AP Physics class. But by far, her favorite part of the week was on Thursday, when Lena actually got to meet Spots.

* * *

 

_“Is this where you hide when you're not having lunch with your friends?” Comes the voice from behind her, making the blonde jump in place._

_Rao, what is it with people startling me so much, she things to herself._

_She gets her breathing under control and turns her head around only to come face to face with Lena and lose her breath all over again._

_It takes Lena raising her eyebrow in expectation for her to realize she didn't answer the other girl’s question and she feels herself blush in embarrassment. By the way the brunette’s mouth curls in amusement, she knows her staring hasn't gone unnoticed._

_“Yeah,” She answers after the too long silence. “Sometimes the noise inside bothers me too much, so I come outside for some peace and quiet. Sometimes not so much peace, because I'm usually joined by my friend here.” With that, she indicates the black and white kitten near her._

_Said cat is too busy eating from some small pieces of turkey to pay attention to then, but he does look up briefly when Lena lets a small gasp._

_“And who might this be?” She coos, lowering herself so she is sitting beside Kara on the ground._

_“That's Spots.” Kara says. She knows she's staring again but she can't help but be fascinated by Lena’s delighted face or the soft look in her eyes when she looks at the cat. “He's actually the reason I got in detention before, although now we’ve become good friends. Right, buddy?”_

_Finished, Spots meows at that exact time then comes over to jump to his usual place in Kara’s lap. The blonde casually starts petting his head and he lets out a loud purr, pushing his head up into her hand._

_“Could I-” at Lena’s hesitance, something Kara never noticed her do before, the taller girl looks back up at her raven haired companion. “Do you think he'd let me pet him?”_

_“I think he would as long as you don't startle him. How about you try?” She says, voice as soft as she can make it._

_Lena nods in return and Kara sends a warm smile her way in encouragement. She watches as the other girl slowly moves her hand closer to the cat. For his part, Spots only observers the girl’s hand, letting out a soft meow._

_“Hi, buddy.” Lena softly whispers when she gently pets behind his ears and the cat starts purring. She looks back up at Kara and offers her a small smile, but one of theist beautiful smiles the blonde has ever seen._

* * *

Distracted by the memory, the blonde doesn't pay attention to where she is going and ends up bumping into someone’s side.

The guy she bumped into stumbles back into a locker, hissing in pain from the way his back hit the metal.

“Dude,are you made of bricks?” He says.

Before she can even open her mouth to apologize, the shout of her name coming from the end of the hallway gets her - and everybody else's - attention.

“Detention, Danvers!” Professor Carr says, looking back down at his phone and already walking away. “Today, after class. Don't be late.”

Everybody stares at the man in astonishment, but Kara doesn't have time to protest before he's out of view.

“What?” She says to herself, still shocked by the new development. “Oh, come on!”

* * *

This time, she's greeted by Ms. Phillips as soon as she enters the library.

“Kara, dear! Good to see you again.” The woman says, giving her a warm smile. “I don't think I got around to thanking you for the green apples the other day. I still can't believe you remembered they're my favorite fruit.”

“Hi, Ms. Phillips!” The blonde returns happily. “It's the last I could do after you put up with me here basically all the time. And I couldn't forget, it's my mom’s favorite fruit too.”

“Not putting up, dear, you're always wonderful company. It's always good to see such bright and curious young people.” The older woman retorts. “I’ll have to finish some reports, but young Lena is around the section of Chemistry in case you want company. There's not much to do in terms of detention today, so feel free to study or anything else to pass the time - as long as you do it quietly.”

“Thanks, Ms Phillips!” Kara beams.

She turns around and leaves her things in one of the library's tables, then walks in the direction of the chemistry section so she can find Lena - she can always study later.

Once she spots the raven haired girl leaning against a bookcase while reading, a mischievous smile appears on her face as she approaches as quietly as possible.

“Why am I not surprised to see you here?” She asks. It's when she sees the other girl jump in fright that she understands why people enjoy to do it to her whenever possible.

Recovering quickly, the smaller girls throws her a playful glare before smiling.

“I’m the one surprised. Again.” Lena says, putting her book back in place and turning back towards her. “What did you do to get here this time? Or better yet, what did Spots do?”

Kara laughs, delighted at the mention of the little troublemaker.

“He didn't do anything, actually. Snapper sent me here after I accidentally bumped into a boy and made him stumble into his locker.”

“So he's getting back at you for that time, basically?” Lena retorts, a displeased frown settling on her face.

“Yeah.” Kara shrugs. She adjusts her glasses, trying to settle her nerves. “I didn't see the point in complaining though. I like the library, it's actually one of my favorite places here, and I like the company so…” She trails off, fidgeting with the sleeves of her cardigan.

“You like the company, uh?” Lena retorts, usual smirk firmly back in place now.

“You know, Ms Phillips is really quite nice.” The taller girl retorts, shooting a smile Lena’s way and laughing when the other girl makes a face in mock hurt.

“And here I thought we had something special going on.” Lena says, putting a hand over her chest and shaking her head.

“Well, it was special to me.” Kara says. She can feel the way her eyes widen once she realizes exactly what she just said, and she's soon blushing in embarrassment once she sees Lena’s stunned face. “I- I mean, you're also great company and, you know, I could just. I need to go finish my literature homework so I'll just…”

She's halfway down the corridor, looking down at her feet and silently mocking herself when Lena calls her name, telling her to stop. She could pretend she didn't hear her - anything is better than the conversation that is to come - but she doesn't have it in herself to ignore the other girl like. She stops in place and swallows nervously when she hears her companion approaching, but she doesn't raise her head to look at her.

“Did you actually mean that?” Lena asks. “Kara, please. I need to know the answer to that.”

“Yes. Yes, I did.” She says as softly as she dares to. She hears the other girl’s sharp intake of breath and she closes her eyes, ready for the rejection that will follow or maybe how the other girl was just nice to her out of politeness, how it didn't mean anything.

“Kara, I-” Lena says, stopping to chuckle under her breath. The blonde closes her eyes tighter at the sound, her heart already breaking. “I have no idea how to say this so I'm just… Kara? Can you please look at me?”

The taller girl wants to say no, wants to go get her things and leave as soon as possible, but Lena squeezes her arm again and she is helpless to the way her eyes open and she raises her head so she can look at the brunette.

“I know this is probably not something you want to hear from me but I _need_ you to know. I wasn't going to tell you at first but…” The smaller girl shakes her head and chuckles under her breath again. “I think I got on my brother’s nerves from how much I talked about you to him, he's sure it's gotten worse after we started talking.” If Lena had been looked at Kara, she'd have seen the way the blonde eyes widened slightly at that. “He managed to convince me that third time’s the charm, so if you ended up here again I should take my chances. He said it'd be better to know than to suffer in silence, so…”

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” Kara says, taking the green eyed girl's hand in her own so she can give it a soft squeeze. She ignores the hopeful feeling in her chest and the way her heart is trying to beat its way out of her chest, she just focuses on the other girls nervous expression.

“No, it's okay. I need to tell you this.” Lena responds. She takes a deep breath in preparation and squeezes the blonde’s hand back in thanks. “I have a crush on you and just, how could I not? You're so nice and charismatic. I think I've had a crush since the first time I saw you and you gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. I was always looking at you, the girl with the smile of angel and eyes bluer than the sky. Then we actually got the chance to talk when Spots, that blessed cat, got in detention, which gave me the courage to properly talk to you whenever we saw each other and I can safely say… Kara Danvers, I need you to know that I'm in love with you.”

The blue eyed girl can only stare, too shocked to form a reply and half convinced she dreamed everything that just happened. She tries to say anything, open and closes her mouth repeatedly, but how can she put into words the way her heart briefly stopped before it started to fly? How to tell the other girl that it feels like spring is happening inside her chest? She doesn't know how.

She can't.

And it's with that in mind that she does the only thing she can think of.

“Would it be okay if-” she swallows nervously, squeezing the other girl’s hand again just to reassure herself she's real and this is actually happening. “May I kiss you, Lena?”

“Yes, please.” Comes the soft reply.

Their lips meet in the softest of kisses, Lena melting in the way Kara’s hands move to frame her face so tenderly. The emotion behind it is enough to leave both of them breathless, making them both move back for air. Kara looks into her eyes for any sign of hesitation or regret, but she only sees the way green eyes shine with unshed tears and crinkle at the corners because of Lena’s smile.

They go for another kiss at the same time, the raven haired girl moving closer, resting her palms on the taller girl’s shoulders.

They stand there for a long time after that, kissing each other and offering the happiest smiles every time they pull apart.

It's at the end of the detention that Ms. Phillips finds them there, Lena’s back against a bookcase, her arms around Kara’s neck and Kara’s hands on her hips while they kiss.

The older woman smirks and clear her throat, putting on a serious face when they jump apart.

“Just came to tell Ms Danvers her detention is over and she's free to leave, but I assume you two will be leaving together?” She asks, laughing at the matching blush on their faces. “I’ll leave you two to it then.”

They both watch her go in silent embarrassment, not daring to look at each other. Once she's out of sight, Lena looks at Kara and chuckles under her breath, making the blonde laugh even while she blushes.

“So… what should I be thankful for?” She asks. “You can thank Spots for making me come here and I should be grateful you did what exactly?”

Their hands firmly entwined between them, they start making their way towards the front of the library.

“Technically nothing.” Lena says. “I was never in detention.”

“What?” Kara comes to a halt, tugging at the other girl’s hand until she stops too. “You were here those other two times and you're here now. Lena, you're almost always here.”

Lena chuckles and kisses the blonde’s cheek.

“I volunteer here at the library, I'm one of the student helpers that stays around. That and I usually use the time to tutor other students.”

“Wait what?” Kara says. “You meant I spent a week actively trying to get detention so I could spend more time with you for nothing? This whole time I could have asked you to tutor me instead?”

Lena stares at her, too stunned to say anything, before she breaks down laughing. She leans against Kara while the taller girl stares at her in embarrassment and bemusement.

After she recovers from her laughter, Lena wipes the tears from her eyes and stands on her tiptoes to kiss the blonde.

“Come on, darling. I want to hear about this plan of yours, and you can tell me all about it while we get some ice cream.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me at @lenvluthor on tumblr


End file.
